Keg! Max! Take Two
by Poodernite
Summary: A different ending to the fight that Rory and Jess had at Kyle's party. Literati. One parter. Complete.


Keg! Max! Take Two.  
  
Pairing R/J.  
  
A/N- I wrote this story because I didn't like the way this episode ended, this is the way it should have happened. Hope you enjoy.  
  
This takes place at Kyle's party, end of season 3, in Keg! Max!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
Rory opens to door to find Jess sitting in a dark empty bedroom.  
  
"There you are. I've been looking for you." Rory smiles at Jess.  
  
"Hey." Jess looks at her but cannot manage a smile.  
  
"What's wrong? You were looking forward to this party, what happened?"  
  
Jess does not feel like talking about all the things that are bothering him. He gets up, walks over to Rory and kisses her to show her that nothing is her fault and that he cares for her. Rory understands this implied statement and is a little relieved that Jess's unusually withdrawn behavior is not because he wants to pull away from her.  
  
Rory looks Jess in the eyes and holds him close. She knows something is wrong and would love to be let into that mysterious head of his. He, however, needs to make that decision.  
  
They make their way to the bed and lay face to face, foreheads touching, and arms wrapped around one another. They lay in a comfortable silence each not wanting to lose each other and hoping that this night ends happily.  
  
Rory does not know if he will ever talk and she will never be on good terms with him until he does. Jess understands this but also understands that she may take what he has to tell her even worse and leave him. Rory Gilmore cannot be in a relationship with a high school dropout. What will everybody think? She's already left Prince Charming for the little hell- raiser that he is. How much can he ask her to sacrifice?  
  
God, looking into those brown eyes, so much hurt, so much pain, she would do anything to ease his suffering.  
  
Jess looks into her crystal blue eyes, only sparkling from the tears she is desperately trying to hide. Damnit. He hurt her. He is hurting her right now. What right does he have to just walk into this town, steal Rory, hurt her, and make her cry?  
  
Rory makes the first move and pulls away from Jess. She sits up on the bed against the headboard.  
  
Jess decides it would be best to follow her lead; he does the same and takes her hand.  
  
She appreciates the sign of affection, though he cannot charm his way through this conversation. He's going to actually have to participate. She knows that this makes him very uncomfortable. He'll get used to it.  
  
Rory squeezes Jess's hand to let him know that she is going to start talking. After a beat, Jess squeezes back giving her the okay.  
  
"Jess, I've been feeling a little distant lately." Rory begins.  
  
Jess gives her a barely noticeable nod explaining that he feels the same way.  
  
"First I was thinking that you wanted to break up," at mention of this, Jess squeezes her hand tightly with both of his hands letting her know that she is wrong.  
  
"I'm beginning to suspect now that this is not the case."  
  
She brings his hand up to hers and gives it a kiss.  
  
"Although I am relieved, because breaking up is not on my list of things to do, I would like to know what is causing this distance. So. maybe, you can tell me what's wrong."  
  
Jess knew where this conversation was going from the beginning. While listening to Rory talk, he heard Luke's advice from when they were out looking for that vicious swan. 'You wanna have a relationship with someone, you're gonna have to learn to open up your mouth and say something.' Jess knows this is true. He also knows it is not going to be easy.  
  
"I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm just having a bad week. That's all. Can we just drop it?" Jess knows this is not going to work but it's the only thing that will come out of his mouth. Well at least he said something. Ok Uncle Luke, now what?  
  
Rory begins to get angry. She is here for him, ready to listen, ready to help and he has completely shut her out.  
  
"Jess, this is so unfair!" Rory begins to let the tears fall freely from her face. "Please talk to me! Please tell me what's wrong!"  
  
Jess just looks at Rory; she is so hurt. He wishes he could make this right, but he doesn't know how to explain it to her. She knows that he is a slacker at school and does not care about anything that goes on there. Jess has always pretended that he was just so smart that he did not have to go, and even when he wasn't doing well, he would pretend that everything was going fine for him. Rory knows that Jess is smart. The smartest person she knows in fact, that is why she is attracted to him. She also knows that school takes much time and effort. Rory would understand, nothing he could tell her about Stars Hollow High or any other learning institution could change how she feels about him or how she regards his intellect. Jess is brilliant and she knows it.  
  
With no answer from Jess, Rory's temper begins to flare. She does not know how to get through to him, but she so desperately wants to. Rory stands up and begins to speak.  
  
"Jess. Alright, this is how it's going to be. I am going to go downstairs get something to drink, listen to some music and calm down. You are going to sit up here and gather your thoughts. When you are ready to talk, come downstairs and get me."  
  
"What if I'm never ready to talk? Are you just going to leave me up here for Kyle's parents to find me here? I mean, completely giving away his party, blowing his cover, would you do that to Kyle?" Jess replies, sarcasm building in each statement.  
  
Rory looks at Jess and shakes her head. She cannot believe he is being like this. She is not in a joking mood, and he knows that. Jess resents how condescending she is being towards him. His temper rises because he does not being reprimanded like a child.  
  
"Talking doesn't solve everything, Rory! Maybe I don't want or need to tell you my problems. Maybe it's something I need to figure out on my own. It has nothing to do with you. If I had wanted to talk, don't you think I already would have?"  
  
Rory is a bit taken back by Jess's outburst. She had been in control of this conversation, and she does not like where it is headed. Tears are now pouring from her face.  
  
"I don't know what you're thinking! I never know what you're thinking because you don't tell me anything! I became enamored with your mystery. Now, you are my boyfriend! Open up a little! What do you think is going to happen? Everything in your life has something to do with me, because if it is affecting you, it's affecting me. As hard as it may be for you to comprehend, I care about you as much as you care about me!"  
  
"That's impossible" Jess mutters. Rory starts to walk towards the door.  
  
"It's not impossible," Rory says quietly and looks Jess in the eye, "Come get me when you're ready to talk. We are talking. Tonight. You are not getting out of this. But I would like you to know something before I go. I love you, Jess Mariano." And with that, Rory turns and darts out the door.  
  
When Rory is obviously out of earshot, Jess whispers, "I love you too."  
  
The next few minutes are basically a blur for Rory. She heads downstairs to the party, grabs a coke, opens it but does not drink it, and sits down by herself. She enjoys the band playing, even if they are repeating songs from their first set, and proceeds to make small talk with some girl she hasn't seen in a while.  
  
Meanwhile upstairs, Jess has thousands of thoughts running through his mind and cannot seem to grasp just one. His reaction surprised even himself. He has known for a while that he loves Rory, but never thought he would have the strength to say it out loud. Check that off his list. Now he just needs to find it in him to tell her how he feels. That will be the easy part, when he sees her amazing eyes, the definition of beauty and love, he will be able to share these three special words with her. Maybe the rest will just flow. He really doesn't have much of a choice. He needs to go and find her and tell her how he feels. Then he needs to talk.  
  
Jess slowly makes his way out of the bedroom and then down the stairs to find his love.  
  
He spots her. She is sitting with her back to him talking to, who he recognizes to be Stephanie, a girl from Stars Hollow High. He stands a few feet away from them for a minute not knowing how to cut in. He begins to walk over to them just as Stephanie begins to walk away. Rory is sitting by herself. Perfect timing.  
  
Jess walks over to Rory and awkwardly kisses her forehead. He doesn't really know how to get her attention, but doesn't want to start talking until they are alone. She looks up at him and smiles to make him feel comfortable with her and because she is happy that he did come and get her, and hey, she got a kiss. That's most likely a good sign of what's to come. Rory is nervous about his reaction to the bomb she dropped on him just before she left the room.  
  
Jess takes Rory's hand and gently leads her upstairs. They stand in the middle of this little bedroom, hands intertwined, gazing into one another's eyes.  
  
"Rory Gilmore, I love you." Jess explains. He pulls her in for a kiss. Rory kisses him back. With this kiss, Rory gets chills all down her spine, Jess rubs her back to comfort her. When Rory begins to pull away, even slightly, Jess pulls away completely because he knows that he probably should have started talking first, but it's going to take a lot of reminders of how much he loves her to get him to start talking. This recent kiss should be enough to keep him going.  
  
They are both cross-legged on the bed looking at one another.  
  
Jess dives right in. "I can't take you to the Stars Hollow High prom."  
  
Rory looks disappointed. "Oh, why?"  
  
"Because only graduating seniors can buy prom tickets."  
  
"And you can't buy a prom ticket?"  
  
"Right"  
  
"So that means."  
  
"I'm not graduating." Jess finally gets off his chest.  
  
Rory is not all that surprised, she had been concerned about it for a while, and honestly would have been more surprised if he did graduate but there was a part of her that thought she motivated him. She hoped that since they had been together maybe Jess would have tried harder in school and passed some of his classes.  
  
"Rory look at me, I haven't wanted to tell you because I didn't want to let you down. With anybody else I don't care. It doesn't matter to me what other people think of me. But I care what you think of me. Since we've been together I have tried my best to do it, for you. But I was already in so deep that there was no way. I just don't want to let you down."  
  
"Jess, it's ok. I still love you. I will always love you. We will work something out. Take your GED, go to community college, we will get through this. I don't want you to ever think you can't tell me anything."  
  
"That's it? You love me?"  
  
Rory smiles at how afraid he is of being punished. He looks so little, so vulnerable.  
  
"Yeah, that's it"  
  
Jess smiles for the first time in days. He was so worried.  
  
Rory gives him a quick kiss on the lips and darts out of the room with a huge smile on her face.  
  
"I will be right back, don't go anywhere." Rory commands.  
  
She returns in a few minutes and pokes her head in the door to see Jess reading his book.  
  
"Close your eyes." Rory requests.  
  
Jess does as he is told.  
  
Rory hands Jess a grocery bag.  
  
"Ok, open."  
  
"Awww," recognizing the Doose's Market label, "did Dean get me something? How thoughtful."  
  
"Funny boy. Now take something out of the bag."  
  
"Is this a game? Vanna, tell me what I've won!"  
  
Jess pulls out a soda can and shakes it around to hear something inside of it.  
  
"Well Pat," continuing the act "you've got yourself a tin can with an ice cube inside, having the ability to chill any beverage to the perfect temperature."  
  
Jess looks from the can to Rory, from Rory to the can.  
  
"Figure it out." Rory hurries him along.  
  
Jess smiles. "Chill-tin. Chilton."  
  
"A plus. Ok, next!" Rory is becoming anxious  
  
Jess pulls out a figure from downstairs in Kyle's house. It is two little dressed up bears dancing.  
  
"Dancing?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Dancing at Chilton?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Prom?"  
  
"Why Jess, this is so unexpected, so sudden. But. yes, yes, I will go to Chilton's Prom with you!" Rory teases pleased with her quick thinking.  
  
Jess smiles letting her know that he accepts too. Rory really is the sweetest girl in the world. How did he end up with her? He smiles even more.  
  
He takes this opportunity to jump on top of her. She falls back on the bed and the making out begins. Jess begins exploring under Rory's shirt, which causes her to giggle. Rory lifts up the hem of his shirt and rubs his stomach. She runs her hand under the seam of his boxers, which makes him want her so much more. She removes her hand and continues kissing him for a moment.  
  
"Jess," Rory almost moans before things go any further. He loves the way she can make his own name sound so dirty. Everything about her turns him on.  
  
"Wait." Rory finishes. Rory pulls away from Jess, he lets her go with no resistance. She begins walking towards the door. Jess watches her slow, carefully planned movements. She always had the power to make his head spin. She arrives and shuts the door; she turns around and smiles at Jess. She locks the door, so it is just the two of them for as long as they choose.  
  
The End. Please Review. 


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